Homily

"By means of the homily, the mysteries of the faith and the guiding prin-ciples of the Christian life are expounded from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year. The homily, therefore, is to be highly esteemed as part of the liturgy itself." (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy no. 52) The homily should flow from the readings into the liturgy of the Eucharist, enabling the community to celebrate more deeply and be formed for Christian witness in the world. If the 3 readings from Scrip-ture are linked, the homily reminds us of the seamlessness of revelation. The Homily is to help us see that God in Jesus has entered into, and identified with, human reali-ties. It is to explain and 'interpret the human situation through Scripture… to enable us to be reconciled with God and one another.' The homilist represents the assembly by 'voicing its concerns, by naming its demons…enabling it to gain some understand-ing and control of the evil which afflicts it. The preacher represents the Lord by offering the assembly a word of healing and pardon, of acceptance and love.' The homily should rekindle the sparks of faith, show how the mystery of faith is occurring in our lives and elicit 'joyful recognition of God's presence in our lives', leading us to lift up our hearts and join the angels and saints in praising God in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

(adapted and taken with permission from Anne Perez, Dir. Religious Ed., Holy Family Parish, St. Petersburg, Fla.)